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The latest blogs from Y-PERN

Engaging with Local Authority scrutiny boards to drive improved policy and services
Angela Brogden, Rebecca Atherton, and Rob Clayton explain how scrutiny works at Leeds City Council and how researchers can contribute. This blog was first published by Policy Leeds on medium.com Parliamentary Select Committees are well known for scrutinising national Government actions and holding them to account, but what is less well known is that Local … Read more

Mapping Strategic Priorities of Local and Combined Authorities in Yorkshire
Claire Smithson & Paul Hayes A key challenge for academic policy engagement lies in how to effectively prioritise and coordinate the demand and supply of research and expertise. Currently much of the work being done in this area tends to be either bespoke or through existing relationships, which can create inconsistencies across organisations, their departments … Read more

Meet the members of the YPIP team
Meet the YPIP Team and the Communities Innovating Yorkshire Fund The core YPIP team are now all in post and working together to drive forward the project with partners across the region: YPIP and Y-PERN are currently working on aligning their online presence and creating a website that will host both initiatives. One of the … Read more

Manufacturing SMEs: A Yorkshire & Humber policy picture
Dr Peter Mukarumbwa, Y-PERN Policy Fellow, University of Bradford The manufacturing sector represents a significant part of the UK economy employing 2.6 million workers, who collectively generated an estimated £184 billion in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) during 2022. Manufacturing companies consequently contributed 8% of GDP and 7% of employment in 2022. The sector also is … Read more

Evaluating City of York Council’s Universal Free School Meals
Dr Rebecca Kerr, Y-PERN Policy Fellow, University of York Food for thought? It seems so Y-PERN colleagues, along with researchers from TYPE, collaborated with colleagues from the University of Leeds and the City of York Council (CYC) to evaluate the Universal Free School Meals (UFSM) pilot in York city. The pilot, launched in January 2024 … Read more

Universities collaborating for the good of our regions is fast becoming a policy imperative
Y-PERN’s Policy Director Dr Peter O’Brien and Diana Beech, chief executive of London Higher explore the kinds of value that are created when higher education institutions work together regionally.

Academic-policy engagement: a model for delivering place-based missions?
On 23 September, the Heseltine Institute, City-REDI (City-Region Economic Development Institute) and the Yorkshire and Humber Policy Engagement and Research Network (Y-PERN) hosted a roundtable fringe event at Labour Party conference in Liverpool with the aim of exploring how universities can contribute to place growth.

Bridging the gap between research and climate action
There is now a solid foundation of political support and cross-party appetite for climate action in our region, and with Combined Authorities gaining more strategic powers comes a clear opportunity to create a coalition of the willing comprising academic researchers, policymakers and communities themselves – according to Andrew Wood (Senior Engagement and Impact Officer) at Yorkshire & Humber Climate Commission (YHCC).

Past, present and future of local government
Y-PERN Policy Fellow Dr Neil Barnett (Leeds Becket University) recently published a special academic article in Local Government Studies to mark the influential journal being in publication for 50 years. It forms part of a series reflecting on the past, present and future of local government. You can read the abstract below and click the link for the full article.

How universities can help make ‘place’ matter: Lessons from across the UK
At the recent CiviCon24 National Civic Impact Accelerator, Y-PERN and other partners joined together to host a workshop which explored how universities can help make ‘place’ matter. Andy Mycock , Emily Adams, Jo Hutchings, Sara Hassan and Alison Clarke reflect.

The relationship between policymaking and research: How it works (sometimes)
This blog follows a discussion between Y-PERN Policy Fellows and Alice Rubbra, an officer of South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, on how research can translate into policy development and delivery.

The Labour Government, the King’s Speech and a new path to devolution?
The new Government’s plans for English devolution are rightly ambitious, but important questions remain and more consideration should be given to the whole picture of sub-national governance and the role of local government in it – argue Y-PERN Policy Fellow Dr Neil Barnett (Leeds Beckett University) and Paul Hayes, Senior Policy Engagement Fellow at Leeds … Read more

Reflecting on the voices of female entrepreneurs in shaping policy for York & North Yorkshire and beyond
Dr Rebecca Kerr, Y-PERN Policy Fellow (York & North Yorkshire) takes a look at place-based approaches to supporting female entrepreneurship.

New forum to strengthen glue between South Yorkshire policymakers, academics & others
In this blog, Y-PERN Policy Fellow Dr Dan Olner reflects on the launch of a new forum linking South Yorkshire policymakers, academics and other organisations – with the first session focused on alternative approaches to urban economic development.

What does it mean to be an economist?
Economics is sometimes still seen as being the preserve of an exclusive group of specialist experts; but to address the complex challenges society faces, we must draw in a wider, more diverse range of perspectives into the space – argue members of the Y-PERN team, including Tom Haines-Doran, Rebecca Kerr, Jamie Morgan and Andrew Brown.

Y-PERN Briefing Note: What can we learn from the international evidence on devolution?
In this briefing, Dr Neil Barnett (Y-PERN Policy Fellow for Yorkshire & Humber Councils) takes a broad look at the international trend towards devolving powers to regions and the evidence for its overall benefit.

Hull & East Yorkshire Devolution: From consultation to relational engagement, action and change
Y-PERN Policy Fellow Dr Juan Pablo Winter and University of Hull colleague Dr Gill Hughes argue that devolution for Hull and East Riding presents a chance to engage communities differently – whether on flooding and coastal erosion or tackling poverty.

Understanding alternative approaches to regional economic development in Yorkshire & the Humber
The best way approach to regional economic development is still a matter for debate and research, says Dr Richard Crisp from the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research (CRESR) at Sheffield Hallam University.

Tougher benefit sanctions: another bout of policy amnesia?
The government’s recent ‘Back to Work’ plan is discussed and critiqued in light of the available evidence by Y-PERN Policy Fellow Dr Jamie Redman alongside fellow Sheffield Hallam University colleagues Dr Richard Crisp and Dr Elizabeth Sanderson.

The shape of things to come or mere months to something different?
Significant economic challenges will face whichever party wins the next general election regardless of when it is held, says Professor Jamie Morgan, Y-PERN Academic Lead for Leeds Beckett University.

The challenges of the 2023 Autumn Statement
Dismal productivity, crumbling infrastructure and lack of inward investment are some of the key challenges facing the UK economy at a national and regional level, says Dr Peter O’Brien, Y-PERN Policy Director and Executive Director of Yorkshire Universities.

Sharing power for meaningful and sustainable change
Dr Juan Pablo Winter, Y-PERN Policy Fellow (Hull & East Yorkshire), and team invited policymakers, academics and people with lived experience to reflect on their role and examine underlying assumptions.

Good Work in the South Yorkshire economy
Against a national rise in low quality work, Y-PERN Policy Fellows Elizabeth Sanderson and Dr Jamie Redman set out an agenda to both investigate and improve job quality in South Yorkshire.

We need to think (and act) in the interests of both the short and the long-term
To tackle the immediate problems of today, as well as considering future opportunities, we need accurate information, data and ideas, says Dr Peter O’Brien, Y-PERN Policy Director and Executive Director of Yorkshire Universities.

For the public purpose? Local authorities and municipal entrepreneurship
While some local authorities have been derided for risky investments gone bad, some have also displayed remarkable innovative capacity in generating alternative revenue streams, says Y-PERN Policy Fellow Dr Neil Barnett.